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Mastermind pleads guilty in prison escape scheme

A man serving life in prison for shooting and paralyzing an Orange County deputy pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his part in a fake document prison escape scheme. Prosecutors say the mastermind in that scheme also helped two local murderers go free. WESH 2's Bob Kealing (@bobkealingwesh) asks what's being done to make sure it can't happen again.

A man serving life in prison for shooting and paralyzing an Orange County deputy pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his part in a fake document prison escape scheme. Prosecutors say the mastermind in that scheme also helped two local murderers go free. WESH 2's Bob Kealing (@bobkealingwesh) asks what's being done to make sure it can't happen again.

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Updated: 9:31 PM EST Dec 23, 2015

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WEBVTT WESH 2'S BOB KEALING ASKED WHAT'S BEING DONE TO MAKE SURE IT CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN. JEFFREY FORBES WAS A PAWN. Reporter: JEFFREY FORBES A PRISON LIFER CONVICTED OF SHOOTING AND PARALYZING AN ORANGE COUNTY DEPUTY IN 2006 TODAY PLEADED GUILTY TO WHAT PROSECUTORS CALL A SCHEME FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING, SHOCKING IN ITS SIMPLICITY TO UNDO ALL THE WORK OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PROSECUTORS WHO IMPRISONED HIM BY FILING FORGED COURT DOCUMENTS WITH PHONY SIGNATURES OF THE STATE ATTORNEY AND CASE JUDGE THAT MODIFIED HIS PRISON SENTENCE ALLOWING HIM TO GE FREE. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY SCARY TO US THAT SUCH A SIMPLE SCHEME COULD WORK. Reporter: THE STATE REALIZED FORBES DOCUMENTS WERE FALSIFIED IN TIME AND BLOCKED HIS RELEASE. BUT PROSECUTORS SAY LOCAL MURDERERS JOSEPH YEN JENKINS AND CHARLES WALKER IN 2013 SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPED USING THE SAME METHOD SPARKING A STATE-WIDE MANHUNT. AT THE ROOT OF IT ALL, PROSECUTORS SAY, A SUSPECTED PRISON FORGER NASHADDAI. FORBES HIS FORMER CELL MATE AGREED TO TESTIFY AGAINST HIM. HE NOT ONLY TALKED ABOUT THE SCHEME BUT TOLD US HOW THEY FILED THE DOCUMENTS. TOLD US MR. NASHADDAI HAD SPOKEN TO HIM ABOUT WANTING TO DO THIS FOR FINANCIAL BENEFIT. Reporter: IN THE WAKE OF THIS ESCAPE SCANDAL, PROSECUTORS SAY THEY NOW COMMUNICATE WITH THE COURTS AND PRISONS TO VERIFY ANY SENTENCE MODIFICATIONS LIKE THESE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE CHECKS AND BALANCES ARE NOW IN PLACE?

Mastermind pleads guilty in prison escape scheme

A man serving life in prison for shooting and paralyzing an Orange County deputy pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his part in a fake document prison escape scheme. Prosecutors say the mastermind in that scheme also helped two local murderers go free. WESH 2's Bob Kealing (@bobkealingwesh) asks what's being done to make sure it can't happen again.